GIANTS NOTEBOOK / Tavarez Will Tune Up With Triple-A Fresno

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, May 22, 1999

Julian Tavarez, who has been on the disabled list with pneumonia, is going to Triple-A Fresno for some tuneup work and could be back with the team by next weekend, manager Dusty Baker said.

"He'll throw on the side one day, then throw an inning, then two innings, then skip a day, then throw two innings and then we'll see if he can possibly be ready by (May 31 in) Philadelphia," Baker said.

"It's a matter of conditioning, getting his strength back after the pneumonia."

Tavarez will meet the Fresno team in Tucson, Ariz., today. BONDS FOR BREAKFAST: Coming soon to your supermarket, the new Barry Bonds cereal, MVP Crunch. Bonds was posing for the box cover picture while the team was taking batting practice last night.

The cereal, a frosted flakes-type, is being produced by Famous Fixins', the company that came out with the Sammy Sosa cereal last year. It will be available only in the Bay Area. HITTING PITCHERS: Mark Gardner's homer was the second by a Giants pitcher this season. Felix Rodriquez had one in the first week of the season.

Astros pitcher Sean Bergman, who surrendered the homer, himself has two this season. He retaliated by blooping a single to right that looked like it went off the glove of a diving shortstop Rich Aurilia. MUELLER'S STROKE: Baker thinks Bill Mueller's swing is coming around. Until singling sharply in his first at-bat last night, Mueller had only one hit since returning to the lineup this week after missing six weeks with a broken toe.

"To me, this really is the pitcher's time of year, anyway," Baker said. "Until the weather gets hot, the pitchers are still strong. Early in the year, they can get their breaking stuff and off-speed stuff over because the hitters are still trying to deal with recognition of the fastball."